Julie Bargas knew her drug addiction was out of control when a Madera family court judge warned her in 2005 that her children, who had already been taken from her, would be adopted out if she didn’t get clean.

“I requested the papers to sign them over so I wouldn’t have to drug test anymore,” she said of the response that shocked her Child Protective Services worker. “I just wanted to stay high.”

Today, Bargas is sober and has custody of all four of her children and is applying for graduate school at UC Merced, where she just earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in May.

Her life has truly taken a complete 180-degree turn — a turn made possible by myriad Madera County agencies, programs, and God, Bargas said...